Post mortem examination in horses involves the systematic investigation of a deceased horse to determine the cause of death and evaluate any underlying health conditions. This process, also known as necropsy, is conducted by veterinary pathologists and involves a thorough external and internal examination of the horse's body. During a post mortem, tissues and organs are inspected for abnormalities, and samples may be collected for further histopathological, microbiological, or toxicological analysis. The findings from a post mortem can provide valuable insights into disease processes, inform management practices, and contribute to broader veterinary research. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore methodologies, findings, and implications of post mortem examinations in equine veterinary practice.
Marsh AE, Barr BC, Madigan J, Lakritz J, Nordhausen R, Conrad PA.Neosporosis was diagnosed in an 11-year-old Quarter Horse gelding with clinical signs and diagnostic test results compatible with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Presumptive postmortem diagnosis of EPM attributable to Sarcocystis neurona infection is generally made on the basis of detecting an antibody titer to S neurona in the CSF or characteristic histologic lesions, even when parasites have not been specifically identified. Neosporosis was confirmed in the horse described here by use of immunohistochemical examination, in vitro culturing, and ultrastructural and molecular characte...
Fuller CJ, Barr AR, Dieppe PA, Sharif M.An epitope of keratan sulphate (KS) and total glycosaminoglycans (GAG) were measured in synovial fluid samples from joints of 53 horses immediately following humane destruction. Internal examination of the joints post mortem ensured that there was no gross evidence of osteoarthritis or other joint disease. Joints sampled were distal interphalangeal (DIP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP), metatarsophalangeal (MTP), tarsometatarsal (TMT), tarsocrural (TC), femoropatellar (FP) and antebrachiocarpal (ABC) joints. The age of each horse was assessed by examination of the te...
Tute AS, Wilkins PA, Gleed RD, Credille KM, Murphy DJ, Ducharme NG.An 8-year-old Trakehner mare developed fulminant pulmonary edema following suspected upper airway obstruction 50 minutes into an otherwise unremarkable anesthetic recovery after surgery for left cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle reinnervation and ventriculocordectomy. Establishing a patent airway by orotracheal reintubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful. Gross, histological, and electron microscopic postmortem examination showed severe hemorrhagic pulmonary edema. Laryngeal swelling or hemorrhage were not evident, suggesting laryngospasm or functional airway coll...
Black SB, Stenhouse AM, Hansson RC.This paper details various rapid and sensitive methods for the extraction and derivatisation of propranolol, metoprolol, sotalol, atenolol, pindolol, timolol, oxprenolol, alprenolol and penbutolol in equine urine and in human post mortem whole blood and urine. Three solid-phase extraction methods are described involving the use of either XtrackT XRDAH515, Bond Elut Certify or Sep-Pak C18 cartridges. Two derivatisation methods are also described involving the formation of cyclised silyl or pentafluoropropionate derivatives with either chloromethyldimethylchlorosilane or pentafluoropropionic anh...
Guglick MA, MacAllister CG, Ewing PJ, Confer AW.A 12-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was admitted to the veterinary medical teaching hospital with a 2-day history of signs of abdominal pain. Initial findings on physical examination included signs of lethargy, dehydration, diarrhea, and gastric reflux. Results of laboratory testing indicated that the horse had panleukopenia with neutrophilic toxic changes, was dehydrated, and was hypocalcemic. During the first 48 hours of hospitalization, 1 abdominal palpation per rectum and 3 analyses of peritoneal fluid were performed; abnormalities were not detected. A preliminary diagnosis of enterocoliti...
Bucknell D, Hoste H, Gasser RB, Beveridge I.The community structure exhibited by strongyloid nematodes from the large intestines of horses was examined using data from autopsies of 150 horses. Thirty-one species of nematodes were encountered, but they were not clearly divisible into core and satellite species. Multiple congeneric, consubfamilial and confamilial species were a prominent feature of the community and were more common than singleton infections. Multivariate analyses provided evidence of a stable community of helminths dominated by positive interactions but with few negative interactions, suggesting the absence of competitio...
Kane AJ, Stover SM, Gardner IA, Case JT, Johnson BJ, O'Brien MJ, Read DH, Ardans AA.To develop a standard technique for evaluation of racehorse shoes, to assess homotypic variation (interlimb variation) in shoe characteristics, and to determine whether shoe characteristics varied with age and sex. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Thoroughbred racehorses (n = 201) that died or were euthanatized at California racetracks between August 1992 and July 1994. Methods: Shoe characteristics were measured on horses examined after death. Percentage of agreement was used to compare shoe characteristics between limbs (homotypic variation). Using chi 2 analysis, shoe characteristic...
Uzal FA, Woodman MP, Giraudo CG, Robles CA, Doxey DL.'Mal seco' is an almost invariably fatal disease of horses in Argentina and Chile, which resembles grass sickness, a dysautonomia of horses in Europe. The aetiology of mal seco remains unknown. An attempt to reproduce the disease was made by feeding horses with Festuca argentina, a plant considered to be toxic to animals and which was consistently found in the diet of nine horses suffering from mal seco. Three horses were fed with F argentina ad libitum for 28 days. The plant was infected with an endophytic fungus, whose morphological characteristics were in agreement with descriptions of Acre...
Mair TS, Dyson SJ, Fraser JA, Edwards GB, Hillyer MH, Love S.The case records of 23 horses and one donkey affected by hypertrophic osteopathy (HO) (Marie's disease) were reviewed. All affected animals presented with limb swellings, which were bilaterally symmetrical and usually involved both fore- and hindlimbs. Associated signs included stiffness/lameness and weight loss. Radiological features included periosteal new bone formation over the diaphyses and metaphyses of affected bones. The metacarpal and metatarsal bones were most frequently affected. Articular surfaces remained free of disease. Seventeen animals were destroyed on humane grounds, 3 horse...
Cauvin ER, Munroe GA, Boyd JS, Paterson C.The aim of this study was to determine the normal ultrasonographic features of the cranial and caudal aspects of the femorotibial articulation and, in particular, to establish a method of examining the menisci, cruciate and meniscal ligaments ultrasonographically. Twenty hindlimbs isolated post mortem from 10 horses were used to study the normal ultrasonographic and gross anatomy of the femorotibial joint. Five stifles from 3 normal, live horses were also examined with B-mode, real-time ultrasound imaging. The results of the anatomical study are presented. The joint surfaces, menisci, cruciate...
Harps O, Brumhard J, Bartmann CP, Hinrichs U.An abdominal tumor was suspected after clinical evaluation in an eight-year-old, bay-coloured hannoveranian gelding. The diagnosis was based on the symptoms of ascites, on the results of the transcutaneous abdominal ultrasound examination and on the characteristic changes in the serum-electrophoresis. Postmortem a peritoneal mesothelioma was diagnosed. This primary tumor of the peritoneum is rarely described in horses.
Plumlee KH, Johnson B, Gardner IA.Records were reviewed of horses that had fatal injuries at California racetracks over a 16-mo period. Horses were categorized based on injury type, sex, age and breed. Arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, molybdenum and zinc concentrations were measured in the liver and kidneys from each horse. Arsenic and lead were not detected in any tissues. Liver heavy metal concentrations were not related to the injury type. Kidney iron concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in horses with ligament ruptures and in horses with fractured sesamoid, carpus or metacarpus/metatarsus bones. Live...
Jackson CA, DE Lahunta A, Cummings JF, Divers TJ, Mohammed HO, Valentine BA, Hackett RP.The effectiveness of spinal accessory nerve branch biopsy evaluation as a means to confirm the diagnosis of equine motor neuron disease (EMND) was investigated. Sixteen horses with histories and clinical signs suggestive of EMND and 16 control horses with neither histories nor clinical signs of any neurological disorder, were subjects of the study. Biopsy samples of the ventral branch of the spinal accessory nerve were obtained either surgically, under general anaesthesia or post mortem immediately after euthanasia. Evaluation was done on the spinal cord of all horses to serve as the definitiv...
Riemersma DJ, van den Bogert AJ, Jansen MO, Schamhardt HC.Strains in the tendons of the m. flexor digitalis superficialis (superficial digital flexor, SDFT) and m. flexor digitalis profundus (deep digital flexor, DDFT) tendons, the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor muscle (inferior check ligament, ICL) and the m. interosseus medius (suspensory ligament, SL) of 5 ponies were recorded at the walk and trot using mercury-in-silastic strain gauges (MISS), on a hard surface (brick pavement) and on sand. The horses were shod with normal, flat shoes. On pavement, strain in the SDFT, DDFT and SL increased significantly from the walk (2.19%, 1.15% ...
Reppas GP, Canfield PJ, Hartley WJ, Hutchins DR, Hoffmann KL.An echocardiographical and clinical pathological investigation of the rapid loss of weight by a yearling thoroughbred filly revealed an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect and hyperfibrinogenaemia. A post mortem examination confirmed the cardiac abnormalities and revealed a severe thoracic aortitis. It is proposed that the idiopathic thoracic aortitis contributed to the horse's compromised cardiovascular homoeostasis.
Carrigan MJ, Higgins RJ, Carlson GP, Naydan DK.A 17-year-old Arabian gelding with progressive neurologic signs had a velvety, reddish brain tumor protruding from the ventral midline caudal to the optic chiasma. Histologically, the tumor had a papillary formation with a single layer of elongate cells radially oriented around a central fibrovascular core. Intracytoplasmic globular inclusions were positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and weakly positive for vimentin. Ultrastructurally, these inclusions were comprised of whorling intermediate filaments. Neoplastic cells also had cytoplasmic interdigitations and numerous zona adherens a...
Clegg PD.A mature thoroughbred-cross gelding developed chronic severe hindlimb lameness. Despite intensive clinical investigation, the diagnosis of infective arthritis of the coxofemoral joint was difficult, and a definitive diagnosis was reached only after synoviocentesis of the joint. The horse was euthanased and examined thoroughly post mortem but no definitive aetiology for the condition was discovered.
Gillis C, Sharkey N, Stover SM, Pool RR, Meagher DM, Willits N.Results of studies in human beings and other species have indicated that aging significantly influences the strength, modulus of elasticity, and energy storage ability of tendon. We wanted to determine the effects of aging on the material and ultrasonographic properties of equine superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendon. Ultrasonographic measurements of left forelimb SDF tendon cross-sectional area and mean echogenicity were made in 23 standing horses ranging in age from 2 to 23 years. All horses had not been in work for a minimum of 6 months prior to the study. After euthanasia, left forelimb ...
Heath SE, Peter AT, Janovitz EB, Selvakumar R, Sandusky GE.A 2-year-old Standardbred gelding was examined because of prolapse of the third eyelid; myoclonus of the muscles of the head, neck, and forelimbs; and persistent tail swishing. The horse had a high plasma sodium concentration but was not drinking water. The hypernatremia could not be corrected by means of IV administration of fluids, and the horse became worse and, 6 days later, died. At necropsy, a tumor was found to be compressing the neurohypophysis and the area in the brain in which the thirst centers are believed to be located. It is believed that hypernatremia in this horse was a result ...
Uboh CE, Rudy JA, Railing FA, Enright JM, Shoemaker JM, Kahler MC, Shellenberger JM, Kemecsei Z, Das DN.Although urine is the sample of choice for drug tests in racehorses, it is rarely obtained following the sudden death of a racehorse on the track while racing. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the significance of postmortem tissue samples as an alternative to urine and blood samples in equine drug analysis following the sudden death of a racehorse on the track while participating in a competitive race. Postmortem tissue samples were frozen (-80 degrees C) until analyzed. A 30-40-g portion of each organ was homogenized in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), deproteinized, hydrolyzed ...
Campbell-Beggs CL, Johnson PJ, Wilson DA, Miller MA.A 12-hour-old female standardbred foal developed signs of abdominal pain, tachycardia, tachypnoea and fever associated with chylous ascites. Small intestinal obstruction was due to segmental, mid-jejunal lymphangiectasia. Post mortem examination revealed a lack of communication between afferent and efferent lymphatic vessels in the mesenteric lymphocentre, a defect which was suspected to be congenital.
Johnston GM.This research is about a study conducted to understand the causes and frequency of unexpected fatalities due to surgery or anesthesia within a week of surgery in horses, ponies, and […]
Bucknell DG, Gasser RB, Beveridge I.A quantitative post mortem study of 150 horses from Victoria was conducted to determine the prevalence and epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasites. A total of 42 species of metazoan parasite was found. The following species of non-cyathostome parasite were found (% prevalence): Trichostrongylus axei (51%); Habronema muscae (13%); H. majus (2%); Draschia megastoma (5%); Gastreophilus intestinalis (81%); G. nasalis (29%); Parascaris equorum (5%); Anoplocephala perfoliata (29%); Fasciola hepatica (0.7%); Oxyuris equi (7%); Strongylu vulgaris (23%); S. edentatus (23%); S. equinus (3%); Crateros...
Collobert C, Bernard N, Lamidey C.The umbilical skin and ligamentum nuchae of 368 horses were examined post mortem for Onchocerca species. Only four of the horses were infected and pathological changes were observed on the skin of two of them. Thelazia lacrimalis was recovered from 38 (10.3 per cent) of the horses, and animals aged six months to two years were more frequently infected. No ocular lesions were observed. The prevalences of these two nematodes were low when compared with the infection rates reported in the United Kingdom and North America.
Todd FG, Stermitz FR, Schultheis P, Knight AP, Traub-Dargatz J.Horses in a few, localized northern Colorado pastures exhibited weight loss and colic. At post mortem, intestinal fibrosis and vascular sclerosis of the small intestine was identified. The pastures where the affected horses grazed were overrun by field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis). Bindweed from the pasture was found to contain the tropane alkaloids tropine, pseudotropine, and tropinone and the pyrrolidine alkaloids cuscohygrine and hygrine. Laboratory mice readily ate C. arvensis and exhibited a variety of abnormal clinical signs depending on the amount eaten. Similar alkaloids have been f...
Gawor JJ.The digestive tracts of 50 working horses from private farms in Poland were examined. Thirty-seven nematode species, two tapeworm species and one species of botfly were recovered. The most prevalent small strongyle species were Cyathostomum catinatum, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicostephanus goldi, Cylicostephanus longibursatus, Cyathostomum coronatum, Cylicostephanus calicatus, Cylicocyclus leptostomus and Cylicostephanus minutus. Thirteen cyathostome species showed a site preference in the ventral colon, five in the dorsal colon and three in the caecum. One species, Cylicocyclus triramosus, wa...
Bergmann W, Vernooij JCM, Grinwis GCM, Gröne A.Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) of articular process joints (APJs) is involved in cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVM). Biomechanical forces, important in development of OCD, depend on joint conformation. Oval and flat APJ surfaces are considered normal. Objective: To identify and grade gross shape variation of cervical and cranial thoracic APJ surfaces and determine association with histological evidence of osteochondrosis. Methods: Case series. Methods: Eight hundred and four cervical and cranial thoracic APJ surfaces of 30 foals were evaluated for shape(s) and grades, and were co...
Gunson DE, Rooney JR.An 8-year-old gelding with a long-standing, streptococcal respiratory infection developed dyspnoea and colic. Laparotomy disclosed numerous, discrete, hemorrhagic, thick areas of necrosis throughout the intestinal tract. At postmortem examination similar lesions were seen in the laryngeal mucosa and in many skeletal muscles. Microscopically these lesions had massive necrosis and hemorrhage with a leucocytoclastic vasculitis in adjacent tissue. This condition resembled anaphylactoid purpura (Henoch-Schönlein disease) in man. Fungal infection was ruled out by special stains which failed to show...
Brown CA, MacKay RJ, Chandra S, Davenport D, Lyons ET.A 6-month-old foal was evaluated because of weakness, weight loss, and inappetence of 3 weeks' duration. On initial examination, the foal was weak, poorly responsive, and emaciated. Clinicopathologic abnormalities included anemia and hypoproteinemia. Because of its severe debilitation, the foal was euthantized. Necropsy revealed marked infection of the small intestine with Strongyloides westeri and severe edema of the entire gastrointestinal tract. The foal had been orphaned when it was 6 hours old and raised in isolation from other horses. We believe that this foal developed overwhelming stro...
Millar H.A 6-month-old filly was presented with unilateral epistaxis. Based on clinical signs, endoscopic examination, and postmortem examination, guttural pouch mycosis was diagnosed. The young age of the filly and the fact that this was the 2nd diagnosis of guttural pouch mycosis on this farm was unusual. Mycose de la poche gutturale chez une pouliche de 6 mois. Une pouliche âgée de 6 mois a été présentée pour épistaxis unilatérale. En tenant compte des signes cliniques, de l’examen endoscopique et de l’examen post-mortem, un diagnostic de mycose de la poche gutturale a été posé. Le je...
Borrow HA.The history, clinical signs, post mortem and histopathological findings from two foals with perforating gastroduodenal ulcers and one foal with a non-perforating gastric ulcer are compared with those of other species with similar lesions. Two of the foals had several erosions in the oesophageal mucosa and the condition had been associated with strictures in the duodenum. The cause of the disease remains obscure but a possible connection with stress has been suggested.
Furness MC, Bienzle D, Caswell JL, Delay J, Viel L.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in the horse is a disease characterized by reversible bronchoconstriction and by mucus and neutrophil accumulation in the airways. It has been hypothesized that in horses with RAO, remodeling changes occur that are similar to those described in humans with asthma. Although collagen fibrils are present surrounding normal airways, they are a prominent feature of airway remodeling in human asthma with evidence of enhanced collagen III and I fibril deposition. An immunolabeling method was developed to identify collagen I and III in equine lung and to describe the...
Gish A, Robveille C, Gicquel T, Allorge D, Gault G, Gaulier JM.Analytical detection of Oenanthe crocata toxins in biological samples is challenging because of their instability, the lack of commercially available standards and the exceptionally low detection of these molecules using mass spectrometry. This work aims to report the used analytical methods that allowed identification of the main plant toxins in biological samples from an equid (an Arabian horse) fatality related to hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata Linnaeus) intake. Using both LC-DAD and LC-HRMS methods allowed identification (i) of oenanthotoxin in roots found on the site, root fragm...
Rose PL, Watkins JP, Auer JA.A comminuted, mid-diaphyseal femoral fracture was diagnosed radiographically in a 4-month-old Quarter Horse colt. Disruption of the distal blood supply was suspected, as evidenced by coolness and diminished pulses of the distal portion of the limb. The fracture was repaired by compression plating but the foal's condition continued to deteriorate. A femoral arteriogram of the affected limb was obtained. Positive contrast agent was visible only as far as the mid-shaft of the femur. The foal was euthanatized and the postmortem examination revealed a transected popliteal artery accounting for isch...
Weldon AD, Rowland PH, Rebhun WC.A 12-year-old Morgan gelding was examined for colic of 3 days duration. Signs of depression, colic, diarrhea, and endotoxemia persisted despite aggressive medical therapy and surgical exploration. Culture results from gastric fluid and feces yielded many colonies of Clostridium perfringens. This organism also was recovered from peritoneal fluid 10 days after admission; consequently, the horse was euthanized. At necropsy, a localized gas-filled, necrotic stomach wall was found; many mucosal and submucosal gas blebs were visible. Culture of this tissue yielded Clostridium perfringens. Emphysemat...
Anderson JD, Leonard JM, Zeliff JA, Garman RH.A 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding was evaluated for respiratory disease and found to have a primary lung tumor on postmortem examination. A tentative antemortem diagnosis was made on the basis of results of radiography and cytologic examination of a needle aspirate guided by ultrasonography. A histologic diagnosis of bronchioalveolar adenocarcinoma was made. Thoracic neoplasia is rare in horses. The most frequently reported primary pulmonary tumor is the granular cell tumor.
Allison CJ.A chronic wasting disease in a 16 month old Welsh pony filly is described. The animal died 26 days after the onset of illness which commenced with a sub-acute colic and was characterised by progressive loss of appetite and weight. Post-mortem examination revealed a total invagination of the caecum into the colon and it seemed logical to assume this invagination occurred at the start of the illness. A review of the literature showed that total caecal invagination produces 2 distinct clincal syndromes. It can occur either as an acute illness characterised by severe colic and death after about 10...
Dubey JP, Miller S.A 10-year-old pony died 5 days after the onset of a nervous disorder. Necropsy revealed a yellowish area of discoloration (1.5 by 1 cm) in the medulla oblongata. Microscopically, necrosis and nonsuppurative myeloencephalitis were found in the medulla oblongata. Immature and mature meronts (25 by 10 microns) were seen in neural tissue and in capillaries of the brain stem. Organisms were similar structurally to those seen in equine protozoal myeloencephalitis of horses.
Heath SE, Bell RJ, Chirino-Trejo M, Schuh JC, Harland RJ.Four horses from the same farm developed clinical signs of botulism during the winter months; three of these horses died. One horse survived an initial attack and recovered over a three-week period, but died during a second attack. The horse that survived took six weeks to recover. Clinical and postmortem examination ruled out other causes of disease. Confirmation of the diagnosis was made by isolation of Clostridium botulinum type C toxin from the dirt in the bottom of an oak feedtrough used by all horses, and from the colonic contents of one of the horses that died. To our knowledge, this is...
Gull T, Schmitz DG, Bahr A, Read WK, Walker M.Diagnostic imaging, including computed tomography, of a two-month-old foal with renal failure indicated that its right kidney was probably absent and that its left kidney was abnormal in shape. The foal was stabilised and released, but three days later its clinical signs recurred. Postmortem examination revealed renal hypoplasia and dysplasia, the first reported case of this condition in an American miniature horse.
Brocca G, Centelleghe C, Padoan E, Stoppini R, Giudice C, Castagnaro M, Zappulli V.A 24-year-old Irish Cob mare was presented with a peripheral iris mass, which was surgically resected and diagnosed as an undifferentiated neuroepithelial tumor. A few months later, a relapse occurred with histological features characterized by a more solid appearance and squamous differentiation. Subsequently, the mare was presented with rapidly spreading multiple subcutaneous masses and, at the onset of neurological signs, was humanely euthanized and subjected to a complete post mortem examination. The necropsy confirmed the presence of numerous widespread masses in the subcutaneous tissue, ...
Loynachan AT.A 21-day-old Thoroughbred colt was euthanized following a history of recurrent colic. A 4.5 cm in diameter, occlusive, submucosal cyst was identified in the duodenum at necropsy. Histologically, the cyst was surrounded by a smooth muscle wall and was lined by both squamous and attenuated cuboidal to columnar epithelium. A diagnosis of an esophageal cyst was made based on the gross and histologic findings.
Laverty S, Pascoe JR, Williams JW, Funk KA.A 10-year-old Appaloosa stallion was referred for evaluation of colic. At admission, the heart rate, capillary refill time, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature were high. Fifteen liters of reflux was obtained by nasogastric intubation. Palpation of an abdominal mass per rectum elicited signs of pain. At exploratory laparotomy, a mass was palpated in the ascending portion of the duodenum. The small intestine ruptured at the site of obstruction during manipulation. The horse was euthanatized. A large cholelith was the cause of the duodenal obstruction. At necropsy, multiple choleliths of va...
Borer KE.A 506 kg Warmblood horse with colic was anaesthetized for exploratory celiotomy. Anaesthesia was complicated by arterial hypoxaemia which persisted throughout surgery from the induction of anaesthesia. After endotracheal extubation in the recovery box, a degree of airway obstruction probably occurred during a brief delay in naso-tracheal intubation. Signs of pulmonary oedema were seen shortly afterwards. Furosemide and oxygen were given. Arterial hypoxaemia was present [PaO2: 6.5 kPa (49 mmHg)] when FIO2 was an estimated 0.3. The horse recovered and stood after 45 minutes. It was re-anaestheti...
Patterson-Kane JC, Harrison LR.A 5-month-old male Thoroughbred foal with a history of chronic septic arthritis of the tibiotarsal joint and recent respiratory distress was euthanized and a postmortem examination performed. A giant diverticulum communicating with the lateral aspect of the right atrial cavity of the heart was observed. Histologically, the wall was comprised of myocardial tissue containing cavernous vascular spaces. There was gross and histologic evidence of right-sided heart failure. Congenital right atrial diverticula are rare anomalies in humans and have not previously been reported in foals.
Carrigan MJ, Higgins RJ, Carlson GP, Naydan DK.A 17-year-old Arabian gelding with progressive neurologic signs had a velvety, reddish brain tumor protruding from the ventral midline caudal to the optic chiasma. Histologically, the tumor had a papillary formation with a single layer of elongate cells radially oriented around a central fibrovascular core. Intracytoplasmic globular inclusions were positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and weakly positive for vimentin. Ultrastructurally, these inclusions were comprised of whorling intermediate filaments. Neoplastic cells also had cytoplasmic interdigitations and numerous zona adherens a...
Keg PR, van den Belt AJ, Merkens HW, Barneveld A, Dik KJ.The influence of regional nerve blocks on lameness resulting from tendon injury was studied in six horses. Tendonitis was induced in the midmetacarpal region of the Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon (SDF), Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDF) and the Suspensory Ligament (SL) through collagenase injections. The results were evaluated through sequential clinical examinations, ultrasonographic imaging and kinetic gait analysis (force plate) during a period of 144 days post injury and subsequently compared with gross and microscopic findings. The lameness corresponding to the SDF and DDF tendon lesion...
Luethy D, Colmer S, Jodzio D, Bender S, Porter E, Hemmen Z, Fultz L, Craft W, Walker R, Johnson A, Holbrook T.Ultrasound-guided cervical centesis has gained popularity as a method for collecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from standing horses. There are anecdotal reports of neck stiffness, regional swelling, sensitivity to palpation, and fever after the procedure. We report 2 horses with complications that occurred within days of C1-C2 centesis and ultimately resulted in euthanasia. Both C1-C2 centesis were performed routinely, with CSF cytologic analysis providing no evidence of blood contamination. Post-mortem examination revealed equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy as the primary disorder causin...
Wheeldon EB, Greig WA.The history, clinical signs and post mortem findings in a case of Globidium leuckarti infection in a horse with chronic diarrhoea are described. The limited literature concerning this infection is reviewed, with particular reference to pathogenicity.
Zamora CS, Vitums A, Nyrop KA, Sande RD.The heart of a 6-week old Arabian filly with a history of poor health and exercise intolerance revealed at postmortem examination, multiple cardiac malformations which included atresia of the right atrioventricular orifice (tricuspid atresia, with associated atrial and ventricular septal defects), complete transposition of the great arteries, anomalous drainage of the venae cavae and coronary sinus into the left atrium, coarctation of the aorta, and a small but patent ductus arteriosus. The course of blood through the heart was suggested and discussed.
Wilson DA, Foreman JH, Boero MJ, Didier PJ, Lerner DJ.A large granulosa cell tumor was believed to be responsible for causing obstruction and subsequent rupture of the small colon in a 10-year-old Quarter Horse mare. Two months earlier, a mass, tentatively diagnosed as granulosa cell tumor of the left ovary, had been identified by means of rectal palpation and ultrasonography. The mare was evaluated for clinical signs of acute, severe, abdominal pain, increased heart rate, cyanotic mucous membranes, clinical dehydration, with high PCV, leukopenia, and extreme abdominal distension. A large soft tissue mass and taut band that constricted the lumen ...
Kramme PM, Ziemer EL.Coccidioidal osteomyelitis was diagnosed in a horse after a 6-month period of coughing, weight loss, and lameness. The horse was euthanatized and the diagnosis was confirmed by gross and microscopic findings.
Conrado FO, Iapoce N, Batista-Linhares M, Lopez S, Matthews MH, McKinney CA, Rothacker C.An 18-year-old, grey, Thoroughbred Cross gelding was referred to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University following a 3-week history of low-grade fever of unknown origin, distal limb swelling, and weight loss. Clinical examination identified a few black, round, smooth nodules along the ventral aspect of the proximal tail. Transabdominal ultrasound showed a markedly enlarged heterogenous spleen, hyperechoic liver nodules, and evidence of peritonitis with fibrin deposition. A mature neutrophilia was noted on complete blood count with variable numbers of phagocytized granule...
Crişan MI, Damian A, Gal A, Miclăuş V, Cernea CL, Denoix JM.The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed description of the vascular changes in the distal part of deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT). Eight isolated forelimbs were collected from 8 horses with DDF tendinopathy diagnosed post-mortem by ultrasound and gross anatomopathological examination. The samples were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, softened in 4% phenol and dehydrated with ethylic alcohol. Goldner's Trichrome staining method was used. The histopathological examination revealed vascular proliferation associated with structural disorders of blood vessels. Angiogenesis, fib...
Whitlock RH, Dellers RW, Shively JN.A three-week-old Arabian filly was admitted to the Large Animal Hospital with a respiratory disorder and died despite symptomatic treatment. The necropsy lesions were suggestive of viral pneumonia. An equine adenovirus were isolated from nasal and pharyngeal swabs and from several tissues after death. Typical adenovirus virions were demonstrated by electron microscopy.
Odriozola ER, Rodríguez AM, Micheloud JF, Cantón GJ, Caffarena RD, Gimeno EJ, Bodega JJ, Gardey P, Iseas FB, Giannitti F.Solanum glaucophyllum, a toxic plant known for its calcinogenic effects, causes enzootic calcinosis in ruminant and monogastric animals. We describe an outbreak of enzootic calcinosis that occurred in a herd of 110 horses grazing pastureland heavily contaminated with S. glaucophyllum in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Ten horses developed clinical signs, and 6 horses died. Clinical signs included abnormal gait (stiff-legged action, short strides), stiffness, thoracolumbar kyphosis, reluctance to move, wide stance, chronic weight loss, weakness, recumbency, and difficulty standing. Autopsy of...
